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A British military training mission spent its last day in Zimbabwe on Saturday after 20 years in the country, SAPA reported on Monday. The mission, called the Military Advisory and Training Team (MATT) was recalled in protest at “the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe”, said British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook earlier this week. Cook also announced a ban on weapon sales to Zimbabwe.
The British training team played a crucial role in 1981 in welding together the forces involved in the bush war leading to Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980. Two guerrilla forces, one led by President Robert Mugabe and one by Joshua Nkomo, waged a long struggle against the Rhodesian white minority government.
In the last decade the team has focused on training the armies of Zimbabwe and neighbouring countries in joint peacekeeping operations. Zimbabwe’s Information Minister Jonathan Moyo said the withdrawal meant “good riddance to rubbish”.
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